Valve



Nov. 27, 1945. E, F A LEN 2,389,947

VALVE Original Filed Dec. 7, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 CEM@-J@ J m .5.

Nov. 27, 1945. E. F. ALLEN 2,389,947

VALVE Original Fild Dec. 7, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 27, 1945. E.- F.ALLEN 2,389,947

' VALVE Original Filed Dec. 7, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 27, 1945. EALLEN 2,389,947

VALVE Original Filed Dec. 7, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v Patented Nov. 27,1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Earle Allen, Wellesley Hills, Massl,assignor to Manning,- Maxwell & Moore, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New Jersey Original application December 7,- 1942, SerialNo. 468,065, now Patent No. 2,373,001, dated April 3, 1945; Divided andthis application December 29, 1944, Serial No. 570,434

This invention pertains to valves such as are employed for controllingthe flow of fluid through pipes or conduits, and relates more.particularly to an improved valve casing,- the present applicationbeing adivision of (Bo-pending application for Letters Patent Serial No;468,065, filed December 7,- 1942 and upon which Patent No.- 2,-373,001issued April 3, 1945.-

Commonly, valve casing-s are metal castings or forgings. Experience hasshown that the Walls of such cast or forged valve casings, and theircustomary attachin flanges, must be made of very substantial thicknessin order to insure adequate strength. Thus, such valve casings, whenintended for use under modern high pressure and high temperatureconditions, must be so heavy that they are difficult to handle andimpose an excessive load upon the pipes or other parts to which they areconnected; their thick and irregular walls are subject to greatlyvarying expansion and contraction stresses; and they are massive andoccupy an undue amount of space, factors of great importanceparticularly .on shipboard, The operation of casting valve casings ofthis type is slow and expensive; all such castings and forgings must befinished by machine operations and such operations are sometimes quitedifiicult to perform; and each of the various types of valve,- forinstance, globe, gate, check, etc, usually requires a special,individually designed casing, making it necessary for themanufacturer tobe prepared (with patterns, jigs, special tools, etc.) tomake a Widevariety of these casings.

Among the objects or the present invention are to provide a valve casingof relatively light weight as compared with the usual cast or forgedcasing, but which at the same time has adequate strength; to provide avalvecasing in which the walls of the valve chamber are all of sheetmetal; to provide a valve casing of such design and whose parts are so:assembledas greatly to facilitate all necessary machining. operations;to provide a valve casing employing substantially standard parts whichmaybe made toconstitute a globe, check, gate or otherusual type ofvalvemerely by the selection of the proper parts from among a relativelysmall number of standard parts and assembling the selected parts toproduce the particular type" of valve: desired;

A further object is to provide a valve casing of minimum weightcommensurate with adequate strength, and, in the interestof such weightreduction, to provide a valve casing devoid of the usual attachingflanges but: having adequate provision for securing the casing to a pipeor other fluid receptacle or support. A further object is to provide avalve which occupies a minimum of space although of adequate strengthand capacity.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will bepointed out hereinafter in the following more detailed description andby reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a verticalsection, partly in elevation, on the diametrical plane 'of the inlet andoutlet passages of the valve casing showing the invention embodied inagate type valve;

Fig. l is a fragmentary section of the valve of Fig. 1 but to smallerscale, showing the valve wide open;-

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end elevation of the valve of Fig. 1; M

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the standard partsemployed in accordance with the present invention in constructing valve"casings of various types;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the standard end members of the casing;v

Fig. 6 is a plan view, to somewhat smaller scale, of a standard bonnetsupport for use in making such a casing; V V I Fig. 7 is 'asectionsimilar to Fig. 1, but to smaller scale, showing the invention embodiedin a simple check valve;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section similar to Fig. 1 illustrating theinvention embodied in a globe type valve;

Fig. 9' is an end elevation of the valve of- Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary section on line Ill-Ill of Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I designates a valve of gate typeembodying the present invention. The casing of this valve, like those ofthe other types hereinafter described, is of substantially D-s'hape in aplane perpendicular to the axis of the valve seat (Figs. 2 and 8) andcomprises a unitary wall member 2- of substantially U-shape (Fig. 4)consisting of a length of sheet metal bent on a circular arc to form acurved bottom wall and having the substantially parallel leg members 2and 2 designed to form the opposite side walls of the valve casing. Thecasing also comprises the end members 3 and 4 which may likewise be madeof sheet metal but preferably considerably thicker thanthe wall member2. These end members 3' and 4 are shaped as illustrated in Fig. 5, eachhaving a curved lower edge 3, opposite parallel side edges 3 and thesubstantially straight top edge 3, the dimensions of these parts beingsuch that they may be fitted within the U-shaped side wall member 2 soas when assembled therewith to occupy the relative positions shown inFig. 1, whereupon their edges 3 and 3 are permanently united to theedges 1 and 8 of the side wall member of Fig. 4 by welding metalindicated at l8 (Fig. 1). The casing also comprises the top member orbonnet support 5 which is likewise of sheet metal of approximately thethickness of the end members 3 and 4, and which is of sub:- stantiallyrectangular contour (Fig. 6) having the substantially straight oppositeedges 5 and 5 which are spaced apart a distance substantially equal tothe distance between the outer surfaces of the leg members 2 and 2 ofthe U- shaped part 2. The part 2 is preferably thickened toward itsupper edges 2" and 2" by means of blocks 9 and HI, respectively, ofmetal welded to the inner surfaces of the legs 2' and 2 In the outeredges of these thickened portions of the part 2 there are formed tappedsockets H and I2 respectively, which are designed to receive bolts H bymeans of which the member 5 is removably secured to the side wall member2. The member 5 also has the opposite straight edges 5 and 5' (Fig. 6)which are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the distancebetween the outer surfaces of the assembled members 3 and 4. Openingsare formed along these edges of this top member for the reception ofbolts I6 which enter tapped sockets |6 provided in the upper edges ofthe end members 3 and 4.

The end members 3 and 4 are furnished with fluid flow apertures or ports3 and 4 respectively one of which may be an inlet passage and the othera delivery passage, both communicating with the valve chamber defined bythe parts 2, 3, 4 and 5. The members 3 and 4 are provided with finishedouter surfaces surrounding the openings 3 and 4 respectively, suchsurfaces preferably constituting the outer faces of annular low bossesl4 designed to make leak-tight contact with other parts with which thevalve may be associated, for example, with pipe flanges or with flangesor surfaces of fluid containers such, for instance, as a steam generatoror the like. The inner surface of the part 3, as illustrated in Figs. 1and 1, is beveled to provide an annular valve seat IS with whichcooperates a valve head or feather 20, having a beveled face 2| forengagement with the seat. This valve head is furnished with a stem 22which passes through an opening in the arm 23 of a bell crank lever 24which is pivoted at 25 within the valve chamber. The valve stem may besecured to the arm 23 by means of a nut 26 and cotter pin 21 or by anyother suitable means of attachment. The lever 24 is furnished with asecond arm 28 having an inclined-slot 29 which receives a crank pin 30projecting from lever 3| pivoted at 32 within the valve chamber. Thislever 3| is connected at a point intermediate its ends, by means of alink 33, to the lower end of the valve stem 34. This valve stem extendsup through a large central opening 35 in the member 5 and through astuffing box 36. The stuffing box has a flange 31 which is weldedleak-tight at 38 to the member 5. Surrounding the stem 34, within thestufflng box, is a body of compressible packing material 39 which isnormally held under QQmpression by means of a gland 40. This gland isprovided with a pair of oppositely directed ears 4| and 42 which arenormally engaged by nuts 5| and 52 respectively, having threadedengagement with a pair of parallel posts 44 and 45, whose lower ends arescrewed into threaded bores in the member 5 and are preferably welded at46 (Fig. 1) to the member 5. Near their upper ends the posts 44 and 45carry a bridge member 41 which is held in place by means of nuts 48 atthe upper ends of the posts. This bridge member has a central,internally screw-threaded boss or stembearing 49 which engages screwthreads 50 on the upper portion of the stem 34, the latter having anactuating wheel or handle 5| by means of which it may be turned. Turningthe stem 34 swings the lever 3| and by means of the pin 30 and slottedarm 28 moves the valve head 20 toward and from the seat l9. When infully open position, as shown in Fig. 1 the valve head 20 is elevated tosuch a point within the valve chamber that it does not seriouslyinterfere with the free flow of fluid entering, for example, through thepassage 4 and leaving through the delivery opening 3 so that the valvethus constructed constitutes a satisfactory gate valve.

The packing in the stuffing box 36 is of substantial length so as toinsure adequate packing of the valve stem, even though the valve besubjected to extremely high pressures. The packing may be compressed byturning the nuts 5| and 52, but if it be desired to retract the packinggland from the stufiing box, it is merely necessary to loosen the nuts5| and 52 slightly so that the gland may be turned angularlysufficiently to disengage its ears 4| and 42 from the nuts, whereuponthe gland may be moved freely upwardly out of the stufling box withoutnecessitating a long retraction of the nuts relative to the posts 44 and45.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the end members 3 and 4 are preferablyprovided with series of tapped sockets |5 arranged in a circleconcentric with the openings 3 and 4 respectively, such circle being ofa radius less than the radius of the curved edges 3 of the parts 3and'4. These tapped sockets l5 are designed for the reception of boltsor equivalent fasteners by means of which the casing is secured to otherparts, for example to pipe flanges. By this arrangement it is possibleto construct the casing without the usual projecting attaching flangesand thus reduce the weight and dimensions of the valve device butwithout sacrifice of capability to form a snug leak-tight joint betweenthe casing and such other parts as may be associated with it.

While in Figs. 1 and 1 the valve is illustrated as a valve of gate type,it is very easy to convert this into a simple check valve, as shown inFig. 7, merely by the use of a plain top plate 5' (without the post andstem receiving apertures of the plate 5 above described) and attachingthe valve head 2|! to a simple lever 23 pivoted at 25 in the valvechamber.

Obviously, by modification of the valve-actuating connections betweenthe valve head and the stem 34 of Fig. 1, the type and degree ofmovement imparted to the valve 20 might readily be varied, for exampleto provide for manual closing and fluid pressure opening of the valve.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the invention is shown as embodied in a globevalve. The wall member 2 is identical with that above described, withthe exception that it need not be provided with the screw-threadedsockets -II and I2. The bottom member 3 may be identical with the endmemher 3 above described, except that its upper straight edge 3 (Fig. 8)need-not have the screwthreaded sockets IE, but instead is beveled asshown at 3 The top member 54, as here illustrated, is of the samegeneral contour as the member 4 above described, but does not have thesockets It in its upper edge, its corresponding edge 55 (Fig. 8) beingbeveled as shown at 56. Furthermore, this member, as here illustrated,has a large central opening to reduce its weight, and surrounding thisopening are a series of screw-threaded or tapped sockets for thereception of bolts 58 by means of which the bonnet support 51 may beremovably attached to the part 54. The part 54 and the part 3are'permanently secured to the part 2 by welding metal l8. The part 59,corresponding in shape and size to the part above described, ispermanently secured to the straight edges of the parts 3 and 54' bywelding metal at 63 and 63, respectively. This part 59 is also securedpermanently to the upper edges of the legs l and 2 of the part 2 bywelding metal 64 (Fig. 9). The part 59 is provided with a centralaperture 60 constituting one of the fluid flow passages, for example theinlet passage, and its outer face is preferably finished to provide anannular finished surface 6| desirably raised somewhat to form a contactboss. Surround-ing this boss 6| is a series of tapped sockets 52 for thereception of bolts by means of which the casing may be attached toanother part. The bonnet support 51 is provided with a central openingfor the passage of the valve stem 34 whose inner end: is secured to thevalve head 20, the latter cooperating with the seat It surrounding thefluid flow aperture 34in the part 3". The bonnet support 51 is generallysimilar in function to the part 5 above described in that it carriesparallel posts 44 and 45 constituting part of the bonnet structure,which may be identical with that above described, similar parts beingsimilarly designated.

The above modifications serve to illustrate some of the utilities of thepresent invention, and in particular the fact that by the use of partsof standardized construction it is possible to build valve casings ofvarious types with a minimum amount of machine work, while at the sametime providing casings which are unusually light in weight (in fact asmuch as 50% lighter than usual valves of similar capacity) and whichoccupy little space as compared with ordinary forged or cast casings.This reduction in weight is largely attributable to the fact that thecasing in accordance with the present invention is made up of pieces ofsheet metal. Metal worked into sheet form is admittedly more homogeneousin character, freer from concealed flaws and imperfections, and ofgreater tensile strength than castings and forgings, and since thesesheet metal parts may be molecularly united by welding metal at thejoints, it is thus possible to build casings of great strength and whichmay be depended upon to carry the imposed load without employing sogreat a factor of safety and thus so great an excess of material as isnecessary with usual prior constructions. Not only is less metal thusrequired in the completed valve, but the amount to be removed bymachining is very greatly less than in making valve casings fromforgings or castings.

It will be noted that the part 2 as here illustrated is standard for allvarious types of easing of given size, except for very slight and simplemachine operations before assembly; that the members 3' and 4 arelikewise substantially standard for various casings; that the member 5is likewise standard for various types of casing; and that thus bycarrying a few standard parts different types of casing may readily bebuilt up to suit varying demands. It will likewise be noted that suchmachining operations as must be performed may be carried out beforeassembly of the parts and when the parts are accessible so that themachining operations are simplified and made less expensive.

While certain desirable arrangements have been illustrated, by way ofexample, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarilylimited to these precise arrangements but is to be regarded as broadlyinclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

I. A valve device having a casing whose walls are assembled pieces ofsheet material, said casing comprising a U-shaped wall member, a topplate and end plates, means molecularly uniting two of said plates tothe wall member, one of the plates being removable thereby to permitaccess to the interior of the casing, at least two of said plates havingtherein fluid flow apertures, each of the plates, which has a fluid fiowaperture therein being provided with sockets in its outer surface forthe reception of fasteners for securingv the casing to another part.

2.- A valve device having a casing consisting of sheet material andincluding a relatively thin cylindrically curved Wall member andrelatively thick top and end plates, two of said plates being welded.tothe wall member and means removably attaching the other plate. to thewall member, thewelded plates each having therein a fluid flow apertureand sockets for the reception of means for attaching them to anotherpart, the other of said plates having an opening for the passage of avalve-actuating stem.

3. A valve device having a casing comprising a U-shaped wall member, atop plate and end plates, means molecularly uniting two of said platesto the wall member, one of the plates being removable thereby to permitaccess to the interior of the casing, at least two of said plates havingtherein fluid flow apertures, each plate which has a fluid flow aperturetherein being provided with a plurality of tapped sockets arrangedconcentrically about its aperture for the reception of bolts by means ofwhich the casing may be attached to another part.

4. A valve device having a casing consisting of sheet material andincluding a relatively thin substantially U-shaped Wall member, the legportions ofsaid wall member having thickened ends provided with tappedsockets leading inwardly from their outer edges, a top plate engagingsaid outer edges of the wall member, bolts passing through the top plateinto said tapped sockets thereby to secure the top plate in operativeposition, and end plates welded to the wall member at the opposite edgesthereof, thereby, with the top plate and wall member, to define a valvechamber, said end plates having aligned fluid flow apertures.

5. A valve device having a casing whose walls are assembled pieces ofsheet material, said casing comprising a U-shaped wall member, a topplate and end plates, means molecularly uniting two of said plates tothe wall member, one of the plates being removable thereby to permitaccess to the interior of the casing, at least two of said plates havingtherein fluid flow apertures, each plate which has a fluid flow aperturebeing provided at its outer surface with an annular boss for contactwith another part and having means for removably securing said plate tosaid other part.

6. A valve device having a casing of substantially D-shape in verticalsection, the casing comprising a U-shaped wall member, a top plate,means removably securing the top plate to the end edges of the parallellegs of said wall member, end plates molecularly united to said Wallmember at opposite side edges thereof respectively, each of said endplates having therethrough a fluid flow aperture, a valve seat coaxialwith one of said apertures, and a bonnet structure carried by the topplate, said bonnet structure comprising guides for a valve-actuatingstem.

'7. A valve device having a casing of substantially D-shape in verticalsection, the casing comprising a U-shaped Wall member, a top plate,means removably securing the top plate to the end edges of the parallellegs of said wall member, end plates molecularly united to said wallmember at opposite side edges thereof respectively, one of the endplates and the top plate having therein fluid flow apertures, a valveseat coaxial with the fluid flow aperture in said end plate, the otherend plate having therein an aperture for the passage of a valve stem andcarrying a bonnet structure, said bonnet structure comprising guidemeans for a valve-actuating stem.

8. A valve device having a hollow casing which houses a valve seat, thecasing being substantially D-shape in a plane parallel to the plane ofthe valve seat, the casing being of sheet material and including arelatively thin, U-shaped wall member and three substantially flatplates of relatively thicker material, two of said plates being ofsubstantially D-shape in contour and the third plate being substantiallyrectangular, the latter plate closing the open end of the U- shapedwall' member, the D-shaped plates being parallel and perpendicular tothe rectangular plate and engaging the opposite edges respectively ofthe U-shaped wall member, two at least of the plates being welded to thewall member and being provided with fluid flow apertures, one of saidlatter plates having a valve seat coaxial with its fluid flow aperture,each of the latter plates having sockets for the reception of means forattaching the casing to another part, and the third plate having thereinan opening for the passage of a valve-actuating stem.

9. A valve device having a hollow casing which houses a valve seat, thecasing being substantially D-shaped in a plane parallel to the plane ofthe valve seat, the casing being of sheet material and including arelatively thin U-shaped wall memher and three relatively thick flatplates, all of said plates being Welded to the Wall member, the first ofsaid plates closing the open end of the U-shaped wall member and theother plates engaging the opposite edges respectively of the U- shapedmember, the aforesaid first plate and one of the other plates beingprovided with'fluid flow apertures and with sockets for the reception offastening means for uniting the casing to another part, one of saidapertured plates having a valve seat coaxial with its fluid flowaperture, the third of said plates having an aperture for the passage ofa valve-actuating stem, and a bonnet support removably secured to saidthird plate.

EARLE F. ALLEN.

